Best practices, errors, and perspectives of half a century of plant translocation in Italy.

Conservation translocations are becoming common conservation practice, so there is an increasing need to understand the drivers of plant translocation performance through reviews of cases at global and regional levels. The establishment of the Italian Database of Plant Translocation (IDPlanT) provides the opportunity to review the techniques used in 186 plant translocation cases performed in the last 50 years in the heart of the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. We described techniques and information available in IDPlanT and used these data to identify drivers of translocation outcomes. We tested the effect of 15 variables on survival of translocated propagules as of the last monitoring date with binomial logistic mixed-effect models. Eleven variables significantly affected survival of transplants: life form, site protection, material source, number of source populations, propagation methods, propagule life stage, planting methods, habitat suitability assessment, site preparation, aftercare, and costs. The integration of vegetation studies in the selection of suitable planting sites significantly increased the success of translocation efforts. Although posttranslocation watering had a generally positive effect on translocation outcome, other aftercare techniques did not always increase transplant survival. Finally, we found that how funds were spent appeared to be more important than the actual amount spent. Plant translocations in Italy and in the Mediterranean area should account for the complexity of speciation, gene flow, and plant migrations that has led to local adaptations and has important implications for the choice and constitution of source material.

Mejores prácticas, errores y perspectivas tras medio siglo de reubicaciones botánicas en Italia Resumen Las reubicaciones son una práctica cada vez más común en la conservación, por lo que hay una necesidad creciente por entender los factores del desempeño de las reubicaciones botánicas por medio de la revisión de casos regionales y globales. La creación de la Italian Database of Plant Translocation (IDPlanT) proporciona una oportunidad para revisar las técnicas usadas para los casos de reubicación de 186 plantas realizados durante los últimos cincuenta años en el centro del punto caliente de biodiversidad mediterránea. Describimos las técnicas y la información disponible en IDPlanT y usamos estos datos para identificar los factores involucrados en los resultados de las reubicaciones. Usamos modelos logísticos binomiales de efectos mixtos para analizar el efecto de 15 variables sobre la supervivencia de los propágulos reubicados a partir de la última fecha de monitoreo. Once de las variables afectaron de manera significativa la supervivencia de las plantas: forma de vida, protección del sitio, fuente de materiales, cantidad de poblaciones originarias, método de propagación, etapa de vida del propágulo, método de siembra, evaluación de idoneidad del hábitat, preparación del sitio, cuidados posteriores y costos. La integración de los estudios botánicos a la selección de los sitios idóneos para plantar aumentó el éxito de los esfuerzos de reubicación. Aunque el riego posterior a la reubicación tuvo un efecto positivo general sobre el resultado, las otras técnicas de cuidado posterior no siempre incrementaron la supervivencia de la planta reubicada. Por último, descubrimos que parece ser más importante cómo se utilizan los fondos que la cantidad actual empleada. Las reubicaciones botánicas en Italia y en el área del Mediterráneo deben considerar lo complejo de la especiación, el flujo génico y la migración botánica que han derivado en adaptaciones locales y que han tenido implicaciones importantes para la elección y constitución del material de origen.

Comparative Cytogenetic of the 36-Chromosomes Genera of Orchidinae Subtribe (Orchidaceae) in the Mediterranean Region: A Summary and New Data.

This article provides a summary of the current knowledge on the cytogenetics of four genera, which are all composed of 36 chromosomes, within the Orchidinae subtribe (Orchidaceae). Previous classical studies have revealed differences in karyomorphology among these genera, indicating genomic diversity. The current study includes an analysis of the current knowledge with an update of the karyotype of 47 species with 36 chromosomes from the genera Anacamptis, Serapias, Himantoglossum, and Ophrys. The study discusses comparisons of karyotypes among these genera that used traditional techniques as well as karyotype asymmetry relationships with various asymmetry indices. Additionally, the study reports new findings on polyploidy in Anacamptis pyramidalis and Serapias lingua, which were observed through karyotype and meiotic metaphase analyses in EMC. Moreover, the study detected B chromosomes for the first time in A. papilionacea and A. palustris. The article also describes the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization in some specimens of A. papilionacea and A. collina to locate different sites of the 18S-5.8S-25S rDNA and 5S rDNA ribosomal complexes on chromosomes. The information derived from these cytogenetic analyses was used to refine the classification of these orchids and identify evolutionary relationships among different species and genera.

Orchidaceae in Puglia (Italy): Consistency, Distribution, and Conservation.

A study of the distribution of orchid species in Puglia, based on an analysis of 2084 bibliographic reports from 2000 to 2022, was carried out with the aim of revising and updating the information on the consistency of the Orchidaceae family in Puglia, with a special focus on assessing threatened species occurring inside and outside protected areas. The work presents a checklist of the Orchidaceae taxa (genera, species, and subspecies) found in the region, including observations on genera and species that present taxonomic challenges. A total of 113 taxa (i.e., species and subspecies), distributed across 16 genera, are listed in alphabetical order. The most representative genera were Ophrys (51 taxa), Serapias (15 taxa), and Epipactis (11 taxa). Additionally, 49 taxa (43.4%) were found to be endemic to Italy, with 21 of these, mostly belonging to the Ophrys genus, being exclusive to Puglia. Our study notes two different trends of distribution: a predominantly coastal distribution for orchid records located in southern Puglia (the Salento peninsula) and a more widespread distribution for the other provinces. Our study also shows that the greatest number of records locate orchids in protected areas with a positive correlation between their presence and habitats cited in Directive 92/43/EEC.

Comparative chromosome studies in species of subtribe Orchidinae (Orchidaceae).

In our study, FISH mapping using 18S-5.8S-25S rDNA and 5S rDNA sequences was performed for the first time on Ophrystenthredinifera Willdenow, 1805, Serapiasvomeracea (Burman f., 1770) Briquet, 1910 and Himantoglossumhircinum (Linnaeus, 1753) Sprengel, 1826. A detailed study was also performed on O.tenthredinifera using Giemsa-staining, silver-staining, CMA fluorescence banding and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) with rDNA probes. We analysed two subspecies, i.e. O.tenthrediniferasubsp.neglecta (Parlatore, 1860) E.G. Camus, 1908 and O.tenthrediniferasubsp.grandiflora (Tenore, 1819) Kreutz, 2004 by the traditional Feulgen method and constructed the karyotype. The cytotaxonomic implications for both taxa are also discussed. In Himantoglossumhircinum, FISH and silver staining highlighted differences in the number of two rDNA families (35S and 5S) with respect to Barliarobertiana (Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, 1807) Greuter, 1967. In addition, fluorescence in situ hybridisation was also applied to diploid (2n = 2x = 36) and triploid (2n = 3x = 54) Anacamptismorio (Linnaeus, 1753) R.M. Bateman, Pridgeon et M.W. Chase, 1997. As far as we are aware, this is the first case of autotriploidy observed in A.morio.

Karyomorphometry on three polyploid species of Arum L. (Araceae, Aroideae).

In this study three polyploid Arum Linnaeus, 1753 species from Southern Italy were chromosomally investigated. Arum italicum Miller, 1768 was found to have 2n = 84 chromosomes and a karyotype composed of numerous asymmetric chromosomes. Arum maculatum Linnaeus, 1753 and Arum apulum (Carano) P. C. Boyce, 1993 were found to have 2n = 56 chromosomes. In the examined taxa some chromosome pairs were characterized by the presence of weakly coloured Feulgen-stained segments. The karyotype morphology of Arum italicum was found to be similar to that of Arum maculatum, but the more asymmetrical karyotype and numerous weakly coloured Feulgen-stained segments observed in the former suggest the existence of more extensive rearrangements. In contrast, Arum apulum was observed to have a symmetrical karyotype. The A1, A2 and SYi karyotype asymmetry indices are presented. The relationships between these taxa in terms of karyotype morphology and evolution are discussed.

Towards the planning and design of disturbance patterns across scales to counter biological invasions.

The way in which disturbances from human land use are patterned in space across scales can have important consequences for efforts to govern human/environment with regard to, but not only, invasive spread-dispersal processes. In this context, we explore the potential of disturbance patterns along a continuum of scales as proxies for identifying the geographical regions prone to spread of invasive plant species. To this end, we build on a previous framework of cross-scale disturbance patterns, exercising the approach for the Apulia region (South Italy). We first review procedures and results introducing disturbance maps and sliding windows to measure composition (amount) and configuration (contagion) of disturbance patterns both for real and simulated landscapes from random, multifractal and hierarchical neutral models. We introduce cross-scale disturbance profiles obtained by clustering locations from real and simulated landscapes, which are used as foils for comparison to the real landscapes on the same pattern transition space. Critical percolation thresholds derived from landscape observations and theoretical works are discussed in order to identify critical scale domains. With reference to the actual land use and invasive alien flora correlates of disturbance patterns, a cross-scale "invasibility" map of the Apulia region is derived, which shows sub-regions and scale domains with different potentials for the invasive spread of undesirable species. We discuss the potential effect of contagious and non-contagious disturbances like climate change and why multifractal-like disturbance patterns might be more desirable than others to counter biological invasions in a multi-scale and multi-level context of adaptive planning, design and management of disturbance.